Grassland management influences spatial patterns of soil microbial communities

Soil micro-organisms play a vital role in grassland ecosystem functioning but little is known about the effects of grassland management on spatial patterns of soil microbial communities. We compared plant species composition with terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) fingerprints of soil bacterial and fungal communities in unimproved, restored and improved wet grasslands. We assessed community composition of soil micro-organisms at distances ranging from 0.01 m to 100 m and determined taxa–area relationships from field- to landscape level. We show that land management type influenced bacterial but not fungal community composition. However, extensive grassland management to restore aboveground diversity affected spatial patterns of soil fungi. We found distinct distance–decay and small-scale aggregation of fungal populations in extensively managed grasslands restored from former arable use. There were no clear spatial patterns in bacterial communities at the field-scale. However, at the landscape level there was a moderate increase in bacterial taxa and a strong increase in fungal taxa with the number of sites sampled. Our results suggest that grassland management affects soil microbial communities at multiple scales; the observed small-scale variation may facilitate plant species coexistence and should be taken into account in field studies of soil microbial communities.     

Soil microbial communities under different soybean cropping systems: Characterization of microbial population dynamics, soil microbial activity, microbial biomass, and fatty acid profiles

This work analyzes the direct effect of soil management practices on soil microbial communities, which may affect soil productivity and sustainability. The experimental design consisted of two tillage treatments: reduced tillage (RT) and zero tillage (ZT), and three crop rotation treatments: continuous soybean (SS), corn–soybean (CS), and soybean–corn (SC). Soil samples were taken at soybean planting and harvest. The following quantifications were performed: soil microbial populations by soil dilution plate technique on selective and semi-selective culture media; microbial respiration and microbial biomass by chloroform fumigation-extraction; microbial activity by fluorescein diacetate hydrolysis; and fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) profiles. Soil chemical parameters were also quantified. Soil organic matter content was significantly lower in RT and SS sequence crops, whereas soil pH and total N were significantly higher in CS and SC sequence crops. Trichoderma and Gliocladium populations were lower under RTSS and ZTSS treatments. Except in a few cases, soil microbial respiration, biomass and activity were higher under zero tillage than under reduced tillage, both at planting and harvest sampling times. Multivariate analyses of FAMEs clearly separated both RT and ZT management practices at each sampling time; however, separation of sequence crops was less evident. In our experiments ZT treatment had highest proportion of 10Me 16:0, an actinomycetes biomarker, and 16:1ω9 and 18:1ω7, two fatty acids associated with organic matter content and substrate availability. In contrast, RT treatment had highest content of branched biomarkers (i15:0 and i16:0) and of cy19:0, fatty acids associated with cell stasis and/or stress. As cultural practices can influence soil microbial populations, it is important to analyze the effect that they produce on biological parameters, with the aim of conserving soil richness over time. Thus, in a soybean-based cropping system, appropriate crop management is necessary for a sustainable productivity without reducing soil quality.     

Characterization of soil microbial communities under different potato cropping systems by microbial population dynamics, substrate utilization, and fatty acid profiles

The effects of 11 different 2- and 3-yr potato crop rotations on soil microbial communities were characterized over three field seasons using several techniques. Assessments included microbial populations determined by soil dilution plate counts on various general and selective culture media, microbial activity by fluorescein diacetate (FDA) hydrolysis, single carbon source substrate utilization (SU) profiles, and fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) profiles. Potato rotation crops evaluated in research plots at Newport, ME, included barley/clover, canola, green bean, millet, soybean, sweet corn, and a continuous potato control. Soil populations of culturable bacteria and overall microbial activity tended to be highest following barley, canola, and sweet corn rotations, and lowest with continuous potato. Differences among rotations were less apparent during the potato phase of the rotations. Populations of actinomycetes and fluorescent pseudomonads tended to be greater in barley rotations than in most other rotations. SU profiles derived from BIOLOG GN2 plates indicated that certain rotations, including barley, canola, and sweet corn tended to have higher overall microbial activity, and barley and sweet corn rotations averaged higher substrate richness and diversity. Soybean and potato rotations tended to have lower substrate richness and diversity. Principal component analyses of SU data revealed differences among rotation soil communities in their utilization of individual carbon sources and substrate guilds, including carbohydrates, carboxylic acids, amines/amides, and amino acids. Analyses of soil FAME profiles demonstrated distinct differences among all the rotation soils in their relative composition of fatty acids, indicating differences in their microbial community structure. Fatty acids most responsible for differentiation among rotation soils included 16:1 ω5c, 16:1 ω7c, 18:2 ω6c, 18:1 ω9c, 12:0, and 13:0 anteiso, with 16:1 ω5c being the single greatest determinant. Overall, monounsaturated fatty acids, particularly 16:1 ω5c, were most prevalent in sweet corn rotations and polyunsaturates were highest in barley and millet rotations. Straight chain saturated fatty acids comprised the greatest proportion of fatty acids in soils under continuous potato. FAME biomarkers for microorganism groups indicated barley and millet rotations had the highest ratio of fungi to bacteria, and soybean and continuous potato had the lowest ratio. This research has demonstrated that different crop rotations have distinctive effects on soil microbial communities that are detectable using a variety of techniques. Further studies will identify more specific changes associated with particular rotations and relate these changes to potential effects on disease management, crop health, and crop productivity.     

Early changes due to sorghum biofuel cropping systems in soil microbial communities and metabolic functioning

Evaluation of biofuel production cropping systems should address not only energy yields but also the impacts on soil attributes. In this study, forage sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) cropping systems were initiated on a low organic matter soil (<0.9 %) with a history of intensively tilled low-input cotton production in the semiarid Southern High Plains of the U.S. Sorghum cropping systems were evaluated in a split-plot design with sorghum cultivar as the main plot and the combination of irrigation level (non-irrigated and deficit irrigated) and aboveground biomass removal rate (50 % and 100 %) as the split plot. The sorghum cultivars used varied in yield potential and lignin content, which are important features for feedstock-producing crops. Within 1 year, the transition from long-term cotton cropping systems to sorghum biofuel cropping systems resulted in increased soil microbial biomass C (16 %) and N (17 %) and shifts in the microbial community composition as indicated by differences in fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) profiles. Additionally, enzyme activities targeting C, N, P and S cycles increased 15–75 % (depending on the enzyme) after two growing seasons. Increased enzyme activities (16–19 %) and differences in FAME profiles were seen due to irrigation regardless of aboveground biomass removal rate. Biomass removal rate and the cultivar type had little effect on the soil microbial properties during the time frame of this study. Early results from this study suggest improvements in soil quality and the sustainability of sorghum biofuel cropping for low organic matter agricultural soils.     

The distribution of nematodes and soil microbial communities across soil aggregate fractions and farm management systems

We hypothesized that nematode and microbial communities vary between soil aggregate fractions due to variations in physical and/or resource constraints associated with each fraction and that this, in turn, contributes to management impacts on whole soil food webs. Nematode and microbial communities were examined within three soil fractions: large macroaggregates (LM; >1000 μm), small macroaggregates (SM; 250-1000 μm) and inter-aggregate soil and space (IS; <250 μm) isolated from soils of four agricultural management systems: conventional tomato (CON), organic tomato (ORG), a minimum till grain-legume intercrop with continuous cover (CC) and an unmanaged riparian corridor (RC). Aggregate fractions appeared to influence nematode assemblages more than did management system. In general the IS and LM fractions contained higher densities of all nematode trophic groups than did SM. Management × fraction interactions for bacterivores and fungivores, however; suggested a non uniform trend across management systems. The IS fraction exhibited stronger trophic links, per the nematode structure index (SI), while the LM and SM fractions had more active fungal decomposition channels as indicated by the channel index (CI). Higher adult to juvenile ratios in the LM and IS than the SM fraction, and a positive correlation between nematode density in the IS fraction and the proportion of macroaggregates in the soil, indicated an association between soil structure and nematode distribution. Microbial communities varied across both aggregate fractions and management systems. Phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analysis suggested that the LM fraction contained greater microbial biomass, gram positive bacteria, and eukaryotes than the IS fraction, while SM contained intermediate PLFA associated with these groups. Total PLFA was greater under RC and ORG than under CC or CON. Total PLFA was positively correlated with % C in soil fractions while nematode abundance exhibited no such relationship. Our findings suggest that microbial communities are more limited by resource availability than by habitable pore space or predation, while nematode communities, although clearly resource-dependent, are better associated with habitable pore space for the soil fractions studied here.     

Eubacterial communities in different soil macroaggregate environments and cropping systems

Different positions within soil macroaggregates, and macroaggregates of different sizes, have different chemical and physical properties which could affect microbial growth and interactions among taxa. The hypothesis that these soil aggregate fractions contain different eubacterial communities was tested using terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) of the 16S ribosomal gene. Communities were characterized from two field experiments, located at the Kellogg Biological Station (KBS), MI, USA and the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC), Wooster, OH, USA. Three soil management regimes at each site were sampled and management was found to significantly affect T-RFLP profiles. The soil aggregate erosion (SAE) method was used to isolate aggregate regions (external and internal regions). Differences between eubacterial T-RFLP profiles of aggregate exteriors and interiors were marginally significant at KBS (accounting for 12.5% of total profile variance), and not significant at OARDC. There were no significant differences among macroaggregate size classes at either site. These results are in general agreement with previous studies using molecular methods to examine microbial communities among different soil macroaggregate size fractions, although further study of communities within different aggregate regions is warranted. Analysis of individual macroaggregates revealed large inter-aggregate variability in community structure. Hence the tertiary components of soil structure, e.g. arrangement of aggregates in relation to shoot residue, roots, macropores, etc., may be more important than aggregate size or intra-aggregate regions in the determination of the types of microbial communities present in aggregates. Direct microscopic counts were also used to examine the bacterial population size in aggregate regions at KBS. The proportion of bacterial cells with biovolumes >0.18 μm³ was higher in aggregate interiors than in exteriors, indicating potentially higher activity in that environment. This proportion was significantly related to percent C of the samples, while total bacterial cell counts were not.     

菜地土壤有机碳分级以及总量变化的动态特征研究

Fertilisers significantly affect crop production and crop biomass inputs to soil organic carbon（SOC）. However, the long-term effects of fertilisers on C associated with aggregates are not yet fully understood. Based on soil aggregate and SOC fractionation analysis, this study investigated the long-term effects of organic manure and inorganic fertilisers on the accumulation and change in SOC and its fractions, including the C concentrations of free light fraction, intra-aggregate particulate organic matter（POM） and intra-aggregate mineral-associated organic matter（MOM）. Long-term manure applications improved SOC and increased the concentrations of some C fractions. Manure also accelerated the decomposition of coarse POM（cPOM） into fine POM（fPOM） and facilitated the transformation of fPOM encrustation into intra-microaggregate POM within macroaggregates. However, the application of inorganic fertilisers was detrimental to the formation of fPOM and to the subsequent encrustation of fPOM with clay particles, thus inhibiting the formation of stable microaggregates within macroaggregates. No significant differences were observed among the inorganic fertiliser treatments in terms of C concentrations of MOM, intra-microaggregate MOM within macroaggregate（imMMOM） and intra-microaggregate MOM（imMOM）. However, the long-term application of manure resulted in large increases in C concentrations of MOM（36.35%）, imMMOM（456.31%） and imMOM（19.33%） compared with control treatment.     

Evaluation of alternative land management and cropping practices for soil conservation

Abstract. To allow land planners and managers to assess erosion under alternative management practices a model has been developed. It is based on the universal soil loss equation but uses subfactors for crop cover and management. Readily available agronomic data and field expert opinion were used in formulating the method. Locally-derived data are used to validate the model which is then applied to agricultural systems in New South Wales, ranking the relative erosion hazard associated with crop and land management practices.     

Soil aggregate size mediates the impacts of cropping regimes on soil carbon and microbial communities

Understanding the influence of long-term crop management practices on the soil microbial community is critical for linking soil microbial flora with ecosystem processes such as those involved in soil carbon cycling. In this study, pyrosequencing and a functional gene array (GeoChip 4.0) were used to investigate the shifts in microbial composition and functional gene structure in a medium clay soil subjected to various cropping regimes. Pyrosequencing analysis showed that the community structure (β-diversity) for bacteria and fungi was significantly impacted among different cropping treatments. Functional gene array-based analysis revealed that crop rotation practices changed the structure and abundance of genes involved in C degradation. Significant correlations were observed between the activities of four enzymes involved in soil C degradation and the abundance of genes responsible for the production of respective enzymes, suggesting that a shift in the microbial community may influence soil C dynamics. We further integrated physical, chemical, and molecular techniques (qPCR) to assess relationships between soil C, microbial derived enzymes and soil bacterial community structure at the soil micro-environmental scale (e.g. within different aggregate-size fractions). We observed a dominance of different bacterial phyla within soil microenvironments which was correlated with the amount of C in the soil aggregates suggesting that each aggregate represents a different ecological niche for microbial colonization. Significant effects of aggregate size were found for the activity of enzymes involved in C degradation suggesting that aggregate size distribution influenced C availability. The influence of cropping regimes on microbial and soil C responses declined with decreasing size of soil aggregates and especially with silt and clay micro-aggregates. Our results suggest that long term crop management practices influence the structural and functional potential of soil microbial communities and the impact of crop rotations on soil C turnover varies between different sized soil aggregates. These findings provide a strong framework to determine the impact of management practices on soil C and soil health.     

Factors affecting soil microbial community structure in tomato cropping systems

Soil and rhizosphere microbial communities in agroecosystems may be affected by soil, climate, plant species, and management. The management and environmental factors controlling microbial biomass and community structure were identified in a three-year field experiment. The experiment consisted of a tomato production agroecosystem with the following nine treatments: bare soil, black polyethylene mulch, white polyethylene mulch, vetch cover crop, vetch roots only, vetch shoots only, rye cover crop, rye roots only, and rye shoots only. The following hypotheses were tested: (1) Temperature and moisture differences between polyethylene-covered and cover-cropped treatments are partly responsible for treatment effects on soil microbial community composition, and (2) Different species of cover crops have unique root and shoot effects on soil microbial community composition. Microbial biomass and community composition were measured by phospholipid fatty acid analysis. Microbial biomass was increased by all cover crop treatments, including root only and shoot only. Cover cropping increased the absolute amount of all microbial groups, but Gram-positive bacteria decreased in proportion under cover crops. We attribute this decrease to increased readily available carbon under cover-cropped treatments, which favored other groups over Gram-positive bacteria. Higher soil temperatures under certain treatments also increased the proportion of Gram-positive bacteria. Vetch shoots increased the amount and proportion of Gram-negative bacteria, fungi, and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in the rhizosphere of tomato plants. The imposed treatments were much more significant than soil temperature, moisture, pH, and texture in controlling microbial biomass and community structure.     

白三叶草和鼠茅草对果园土壤微生物和线虫群落的影响差异

[目的]覆盖作物影响果园土壤的微生物和线虫群落,研究不同覆盖作物对土壤微生物和线虫群落的影响特征可为生态果园管理提供理论依据.[方法]试验于2016年在湖北十堰的猕猴桃园内进行,供试品种为美味猕猴桃(Actinidia deliciosa),2015年定植.覆盖作物处理为白三叶草、鼠茅草,以清耕为对照(CK).连续进行...     

纳米银对城郊菜地土壤微生物群落结构及细菌硝化作用的影响

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are widely used antimicrobial compounds;however,they may pose a threat to non-targeted bacteria in the environment.In this study high-throughput sequencing was used to investigate the effects of different concentrations of AgNPs (10,50,and 100 mg kg-1) on soil microbial community structure during short-term (7 d) exposure.The amounts of Acidobacteria,Actinobacteria,Cyanobacteria,and Nitrospirac significantly decreased with increasing AgNP concentration;meanwhile,several other phyla (e.g.,Proteobacteria and Planctomycetes) increased and dominated.Nitrosomonas europaea,a well-characterized ammoniaoxidizing bacterium,was used to study the sensitivity of bacteria to AgNPs and ionic silver (Ag+).Flow cytometry was used to monitor the toxicity of low (1 mg L-1),middle (10 mg L-1),and high concentrations (20 mg L-1) of AgNPs,as well as Ag+ (1 mg L-1) released into the medium from 20 mg L-1 concentration of AgNPs,towards N.europaea.After 12 h of exposure,the survival rate of N.europaea treated with 1 mg L-1 Ag+ was significantly lower than those treated with low (1 mg L-1) and middle concentrations (10 mg L-1) of AgNPs,but the survival rate in the treatment with high concentration (20 mg L-1) of AgNPs was much lower.Additionally,necrosis rates were higher in the treatment with 20 mg L-1 AgNPs.Electron microscopy showed that Ag+ caused serious damage to the cell wall of N.europaea,disintegrated the nucleoids,and condensed next to the cell membrane;however,dissolved Ag+ is only one of the antibacterial mechanisms of AgNPs.     

利用复合方法对不同耕作系统中的土壤微生物活性进行分析

Cropping activities may affect soil microbial activities and biomass,which would affect C and N cycling in soil and thus the crop yields and quality.In the present study,a combination of microcalorimetric,enzyme activity(sucrase,urease,catalase,and fluorescein diacetate hydrolysis),and real-time polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR) analyses was used to investigate microbial status of farmland soils,collected from 5 different sites in Huazhong Agriculture University,China.Our results showed that among the 5sites,both positive and negative impacts of cropping activities on soil microbial activity were observed.Enzyme activity analysis showed that cropping activities reduced soil sucrase and urease activities,which would influence the C and N cycles in soil.Much more attentions should be given to microbial status affected by cropping activities in future.According to the correlation analysis,fluorescein diacetate hydrolysis showed a significantly(P 0.05) negative correlation with the time to reach the maximum power output(R ——0.898),but a significantly(P 0.05) positive correlation with bacterial gene copy number(R = 0.817).Soil catalase activity also showed a significantly(P 0.05) positive correlation with bacterial gene copy number(R = 0.965).Using combined methods would provide virtual information of soil microbial status.     

Changes in soil microbial properties with no-tillage in Chinese cropping systems

No-tillage (NT) has revolutionized agricultural systems because it has potential benefits including soil conservation and reduced production costs though saving in fuel, equipment, and labor. Soil quality is of great importance in determining the sustainability of land management systems, and soil microbial properties are becoming increasingly used to assess the effect of farming practices on soil quality due to their quick response, high sensitivity, ecological relevance, and capacity to provide information that integrates many environmental factors. In China, research and application of NT have developed quickly since 1970s. Numerous studies have been conducted in this country to evaluate the effect of NT on soil microbial properties. From these studies, it is evident that NT can lead to an increase in soil microbial size or activity or both and a consequent increase in soil microbial biomass in upland cropping systems. However, there are still several issues that remain unaddressed or inadequately specified. Further investigations are needed (1) to determine the effect of NT on soil microbial diversity by using molecular biological techniques in both upland and rice-based cropping systems; (2) to fully understand the changes of soil microbial properties with NT in rice-based cropping systems, especially for double rice cropping systems; and (3) to clarify the relationship between rhizosphere microbial properties and crop growth in NT rice cropping systems.     

稻田系统管理措施对微生物生物量C、N、P的长期影响

A 12-year field experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of different tillage methods and fertil-ization systems on microbial biomass C,N and P of a gray fluvo-aguic soil in rice-based cropping system .Five fertilization treatments were designed under conventional tillae(CT) or on tillage(NT) system:no fertilizer(CK) ; chemical fertilizer only(CF) ; combining chemical fertilizer with pig manure(PM); combining chemical fertilizer with crop straw (CS) and fallow (F). The results showed that biomass C,N and P were enriched in the surface layer of no-tilled soil,whereas they distributed relatively evenly in the tilled soil,which might result from enrichment of crop resdue,organic manure and mineral fertilzer,and surficial developent of root systems under NT.Under the cultivation system NT had slightly greater biomass C,N and P at 0-5 cm depth ,significantly less biomass C,N and P at 5-15 cm depth ,less microbial biomass C,N and equivalent biomass P at 15-30 cm depth as compared to CT,indicating hat tillage was beneficial for the multiplication of organims in the plowed layer of soil.Under the fallow system,biomass C,N and P in the surface layer were significantly greater for NT than CT while their differences between the two tillage methods were neligible in the deeper layers.In the surface layer,biomass C,N and P in the soils amended with oranic manure combined with mineral fertilizers were significantly greater than those of the treatments only with mineral fertilizers and the control.Soils without fertilzer had the least biomass nutrient contents among the five fertilization treatments.Obviously,the long-term application of organic manure could maintain the higher activity of microorganisms in soils.The amounts of biomass C,N and P in the fallowed soils varied with the tillage methods;they were much greater under NT than under CT,especially in the surface layer,suggesting that the frequent plowing could decrease the content of organic matter in the surface layer of the fallowed soil.     

Evaluation of soil enzyme activities and microbial communities in tomato continuous cropping soil treated with jerusalem artichoke residues

ABSTRACT

Jerusalem artichoke (JY) (Helianthus tuberosus L.) has been reported to have a strong inhibitory effect on weed growth and root knot nematodes, but little information is available on the effects on soil ecosystems, especially soil microorganisms and soil enzyme activities. Understanding the dynamics of soil microbes and soil enzyme activities in cropping systems can help determine how agricultural practices influence soil processes mediated by JY residues. This study used a pot experiment, with five-year continuous cropping soil of tomato plants as the experimental material and 2% (w/w) JY residue as the treatment material in the soil. The treatment was compared to continuously monocropped tomato soil that was not treated with JY residues. The results of 16S high-throughput sequencing showed that both fungal and bacterial community structure and composition varied significantly at each stage of JY treatment. The analysis showed that the major phyla in the soil fungal community included Ascomycota, Zygomycota and Basidiomycota. Chytridiomycota was dominant in only the JY-treated soil. At the genus level, the abundances of Mortierella, Cephaliophora, Cryptococcus and Fusarium notably changed at each stage of JY treatment. In the bacterial community in the JY-treated group, the abundance of Proteobacteria increased significantly, while that of Firmicutes decreased significantly, compared to the control group. JY enhanced the activity of soil sucrase and urease. In addition, the soil sucrase activity showed a strong negative correlation with Fusarium and Bacillus. Overall, our results revealed that JY residues changed both the soil bacterial and fungal community composition and the soil enzyme activities.     

Functional and molecular responses of soil microbial communities under differing soil management practices

The effects of soil management on some microbiological properties and soil bacterial community structure were evaluated. Two field sites with the same soil type, located on the same geographic area adjacent to one other, have received different soil management practices and cultivation. One site has been subjected for 20 years to intensive horticulture under conventional tillage and irrigation with low quality salt-rich water; the second field site has been uncultivated for a long period and was turned to organic farming practices over the last 5 years and is currently cultivated with fruit orchard. Total bacterial counts, microbial ATP, microbial community metabolic (BIOLOG^®) profiles, and DNA fingerprinting by PCR-DGGE were determined. Two-way ANOVA revealed that total bacterial counts were not significantly (P>0.3) affected by the two different management practices; ATP content was consistently and significantly (P<0.001) lower in salt-water irrigated soil than in organic soil at the three sampling times. The cluster analysis of community level physiological profiles indicated that microbial communities were much more uniform in organic soil than in irrigated one, suggesting that salt-water irrigation could have affected the size of the microbial population, its metabolic activities, as well as its composition. Molecular patterns fitted the BIOLOG^® profile diversity. In particular, at any sampling time, PCR-DGGE patterns of bacterial DNA, extracted by an indirect method, significantly discriminated irrigated from organic soil samples. The PCR-DGGE patterns of total soil DNA, extracted by a direct method, showed a moderate to significant variation among irrigated and organic soil samples. Biochemical, microbiological and molecular data contributed to evidence a significantly different response of indigenous microflora to soil management by using saline water or organic farming.     

Arable weeds,cover crops,and tillage drive soil microbial community composition in organic cropping systems

Cover crops have traditionally been used to reduce soil erosion and build soil quality, but more recently cover crops are being used as an effective tool in organic weed management. Many studies have demonstrated microbial community response to individual cover crop species, but the effects of mixed species cover crop communities have received less attention. Moreover, the relationship between arable weeds and soil microbial communities is not well understood. The objective of this study was to determine the relative influence of cover crop diversity, early-season weed communities, and tillage on soil microbial community structure in an organic cropping system through the extraction of fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs). A field experiment was conducted between 2009 and 2011 near Mead, NE where spring-sown mixtures of zero (control), two, and eight cover crop species were included in a sunflower–soybean–corn crop rotation. A mixture of four weed species was planted in all experimental units (excluding the no-cover control), and also included as an individual treatment. Cover crops and weeds were planted in late-March, then terminated in late-May using a field disk or sweep plow undercutter, and main crops were planted within one week of termination. Three (2009) or four (2010–11) soil cores were taken to a depth of 20 cm in all experimental units at 45, 32, and 25 days following cover crop termination in 2009, 2010, and 2011, respectively. Total FAMEs pooled across 2009 and 2010 were greatest in the two species mixture–undercutter treatment combination (140.8 ± 3.9 nmol g⁻¹) followed by the eight species mixture–undercutter treatment combination (132.4 ± 3.9 nmol g⁻¹). Abundance of five (2009 and 2010) and seventeen (2011) FAME biomarkers was reduced in the weedy treatment relative to both cover-cropped treatments and the no-cover control. In 2009 and 2010, termination with the undercutter reduced abundance of most actinomycete biomarkers while termination with the field disk reduced abundance of C18:1(cis11) and iC16:0. Canonical discriminant analysis of the microbial community successfully segregated most cover crop mixture by termination method treatment combinations in 2009 and 2010. Microbial communities were most strongly influenced by the presence and type of early-spring plant communities, as weeds exerted a strong negative influence on abundance of many key microbial biomarkers, including the AMF markers C16:1(cis11) and C18:1(cis11). Weeds may alter soil microbial community structure as a means of increasing competitive success in arable soils, but this relationship requires further investigation.     

Effects of conventional and alternative management systems on soil phosphorus content,soil structure,and corn yield

Abstract

Conventional management practices have been associated with increased soil erosion and organic matter loss and the contamination of surface and ground water. Alternative agriculture systems which minimize external chemical inputs and degradation of soil and water resources represent alternatives to conventional management practices. Four different management practices were compared on an alluvial silty loam soil cultivated to grow corn (Zea mays L.). The effects of conventional and reduced tillage and of different chemical inputs on the distribution of phosphorus (P) concentration and on soil porosity were investigated. Results showed that the highest P content was detected in the topsoil (0–10 cm) of the minimum tilled plots even though the amount of P fertilizer added was much lower than the amount added in the conventionally tilled plots. The total porosity was significantly higher in the minimum tilled soil and was related only to the tillage technique. Since the higher porosity was mainly due to the higher proportion of elongated and regular pores, the minimum tilled soil appeared to be more resistant to physical stresses and characterized by a higher biological activity.     

Seasonal soil nitrogen dynamics in rice‐wheat cropping systems of Nepal

The rice‐wheat annual double cropping system occupies some 0.5 million ha in the Himalayan foothills of Nepal. Alternating soil drying and wetting cycles characterize the 6–10 weeks long dry‐to‐wet season transition period (DWT) after wheat harvesting and before wetland rice transplanting. Mineral fertilizer use in the predominant smallholder agriculture is low and crops rely largely on native soil N for their nutrition. Changes in soil aeration status during DWT are likely to stimulate soil N losses. The effect of management options that avoid the nitrate build‐up in soils during DWT by N immobilization in plant or microbial biomass was studied under controlled conditions in a greenhouse (2001/2002) and validated under field conditions in Nepal in 2002. In potted soil in the greenhouse, the gradual increase in soil moisture resulted in a nitrate N peak of 20 mg (kg soil)^–1 that rapidly declined as soil moisture levels exceeded 40 % water‐filled pore space (equiv. 75 % field capacity). Similarly, the maximum soil nitrate build‐up of 40 kg N ha^–1 under field conditions was followed by its near complete disappearance with soil moisture levels exceeding 46 % water‐filled pore space at the onset of the monsoon rains. Incorporation of wheat straw and/or N uptake by green manure crops reduced nitrate accumulation in the soil to < 5 mg N kg^–1 in pots and < 30 kg N ha^–1 in the field (temporary N immobilization), thus reducing the risk for N losses to occur. This “saved” N benefited the subsequent crop of lowland rice with increases in N accumulation from 130 mg pot^–1 (bare soil) to 185 mg pot^–1 (green manure plus wheat straw) and corresponding grain yield increases from 1.7 Mg ha^–1 to 3.6 Mg ha^–1 in the field. While benefits from improved soil N management on lowland rice are obvious, possible carry‐over effects on wheat and the feasibility of proposed options at the farm level require further studies.